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October 23, 2012

Barefoot /Minimalist Running, Should You Try It?

Is anyone else totally confused by the conflicting advice out there on what the hell we should be wearing on our feet to run, walk or otherwise work out in?

Probably Not a Good Idea

As with most other fitness debates, this seems to be one of those questions where there may be no universal best answer; everyone is different and you may need to (carefully) experiment. But after much research, pondering, vacillation, hair-pulling and cursing, I've reached a tentative decision about what may be best for me.

Here's what I've come up with, and I discovered a couple of magic tricks which may only work for me, but what the hell. But I'll be quite curious to see what you all do about the question of appropriate footwear.

First off, wouldn't it be awesome if this blog post had a comprehensive review of all the studies, resources, expert analysis, charts, graphs, diagrams, and videos on the subject?

Let's pretend this says something really important about footwear!

But let's see... that would require, um, work. And well... this is Crabby McSlacker's blog. You do the math.

Instead, how about we oversimplify, make fun of everyone, put up some pictures that have nothing to do with anything, and then send you to a few links that contain actual information?

Going Barefoot:

The bible of the barefooters appears to be the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, all about the Tarahumara Indians who can run hundreds of miles barefoot without rest or injury or Clif bars or Gatorade. It's an interesting read, and it inspired a barefoot running movement that caught on big time, especially with primal people, who can now tell you all about it. Because as we know, Primal/Paleo folks love the old pre-historic days so much, they spend hours and hours on the internet checking the latest research on how live more like cavemen.

Must find paleo cupcake recipe!

Much personal experimentation and enthusiasm and blogging have ensued since then.

"Most experienced, habitually barefoot runners tend to avoid landing on the heel and instead land with a forefoot or midfoot strike. ... Most forefoot and some midfoot strikes (shod or barefoot) do not generate the sudden, large impact transients that occur when you heel strike (shod or barefoot). Consequently, runners who forefoot or midfoot strike do not need shoes with elevated cushioned heels to cope with these sudden, high transient forces that occur when you land on the ground. Therefore, barefoot and minimally shod people can run easily on the hardest surfaces in the world without discomfort from landing."

However, one look at the proliferation of types and styles seem to indicate that "minimalist" is subject to many different interpretations. One of which seems to be: "something we can charge a lot more for because they're hot right now even though there's nothing much inside."

One bit of cautionary advice that is always offered: the transition
to barefoot or minimalist running can cause injuries if not taken
slowly. In fact, one scary podiatrist warns that minimalist shoes can cause injuries way worse than regular shoes:

"More severe than
typical overuse stress fractures, these injuries almost always require
non-weightbearing immobilization with crutches to heal. The problem with these injuries is they start out as an
annoyance and slowly build from discomfort to pain without a specific
inciting event, causing the runners to continue training in spite of
injury."

Supportive Shoes

As unhip as traditional shoes are, these are what many runners still wear.

And for those of us who are bio-mechanically challenged and suffer conditions like plantar fasciitis, runner's knee, shin splits, itb issues, back problems, hip problems, ass problems, etc, this whole barefoot/minimalist controversy particularly perplexing.

We've gone to podiatrists or other medical professionals, who point out that we have legs that are different lengths or that we overpronate or walk like constipated pigeons or otherwise can't put one foot in front of the other without screwing something up.

What do these doctors usually recommend? Prescription orthotics, coupled with shoes offering extra support and/or cushioning. These are supposed to make sure our feet aren't flopping around so much or getting slammed too hard by our feet pounding on hard surfaces.

Barefoot running? La la la la we can't hear you...

In fact, many of us with plantar fasciitis have been cautioned to avoid walking barefoot, ever. Not at the beach, not to visit the bathroom in the middle of the night--basically: never, ever, ever.

The second most deadly podiatrical sin? Unsupportive shoes, particularly if they are attractive in any way.

Because this view of human biomechanics is so entrenched, it is actually hard to find it well articulated and supported on the free-for-all web; at least if one uses quick and lazy google searches as a research method. The online consensus actually swings heavily in favor of the fiesty pro-barefoot/minimalist camp, because they love to talk about their feet. Apparently the old-school podiatrists who tell us not to go barefoot are too busy playing golf and watching Law and Order reruns to spend a lot of time posting on the web.

Basically, I was running and walking as though my feet were encased in cement blocks, letting my feet and calf muscles take a siesta while my upper leg muscles did all the work. My upper leg muscles didn't much give a crap how or where my feet landed and what weird rotations my knees might be going through as a result.

Note: I am not an podiatrist, a physical therapist, or even a health
blogger with much common sense, so these magic tricks might actually
make your problem worse! They just seem to help me. I figure if hard heel striking and lazy feet muscles are a problem, what if try to work on that while still wearing regular shoes? Here's my weird method:

1. I simply imagine I am running barefoot even though I'm not. Sounds doofy, right? But whenever I can manage the dumb-ass barefoot visualization, it shifts the way I run. My hard heel-strike landing becomes more of a more midfoot landing, my stride length shortens, my ankles get less rigid, and I engage my feet and calves muscles much more and not just my thighs. That way I still get the cushioning my shoe provides, but I don't seem to hit the ground nearly as hard.

2. I wear backless clogs sometimes for walking around. This also shifts my weight off my heel and encourages my forefoot to be more active as my heel rises.

3. I lace the front of my running shoes fairly tightly and loosen the back a bit, similarly allowing my heel to lift, which seems to lead to more engagement in my feet and calves.

(I've also tried a gazillion other things, some of which helped with feet/knee injuries and some of which most decidedly did not. In fact I just deleted two long paragraphs about all that because this post is already too long and tedious. Imaginary barefoot running is just one of many crazy experiments and probably not the last one either!)

So what you guys think about barefoot running, minimalist shoes, orthotics, or anything else?

During my first pregnancy, over 20 years ago, i had my first problems with my feet, knees, and back. Got supportive shoes, the problems went away. For years i did go barefoot, but i got tired of the kids stepping on my toes, so i went back to the supportive shoes.

The imagining myself barefoot i will have to try, because in spite of the support, the little pains are starting to creep in.

I love both my Vibrams and New Balance Minimus shoes. One thing that most podiatrists (who also may have a vested interest in keeping people in their specialized orthodics and support shoes)don't seem to mention is that most people who injure themselves go from wearing those "cement blocks" to minimalist shoes without any progression or strength training of their feet. They don't retrain themselves how to not heel strike while barefoot, but instead to land mid/fore foot.Even if you decide to not wear minimalist shoes, you can greatly benefit from improved mobility and strengthening of your feet to help prevent issues such as plantars fasciitis or shin splints. Also doing a little self massage helps to stretch out sore and tired feet and feels great! I actually use willPower's Sole Training as a way to improve my feet strength and flexibility: http://www.willpowermethod.com/sole-training

I'm not a runner as I can trip over solid air, but I love the romantic notion of running barefoot. During my teen years I spent a few weeks during a few summers trying to toughen my feet by going barefoot. I walked in the farm yard barefoot, walked on the gravel road barefoot, you get the idea. It was fun and it worked, but I like shoes that support me.

This reminds me of that story "The Emperor's New Running Shoes" when the little kid starts laughing and yells "Hey, the Emperor is wearing gloves on his feet!" and then all the townspeople start laughing and then the Emperor imposes harsh tax penalties on them.

I'm another runner with dodgy feet who can't even WALK barefoot (for different reasons, but hey) and would you believe I also do the "imaginary barefoot" thing / wear backless clogs? Does this convergent evolution of ideas suggest we're onto something? Haven't tried the graduated lacing idea yet, but you can rest assured I will be doing now I've read this!

I actually love the PNW aesthetic and were in not so rainy I might live there myself! My only problem is I tend to think all the women are lesbians. My gaydar is totally useless there. But it's one of the few places I can dress the way I always do and feel totally normal!

I think barefoot running may be the domain of the young and fleshy padded foot. When I was young the only time I wore shoes was to school or where I was required by law to wear them. I still prefer nothing to be on my feet. I cannot imagine wearing those toe shoes. Those look like instruments of torture ala rainbow toe socks... and if you know what I am talking about you are too damn old to be running barefoot!

My podiatrist says: Big toe box, replace the tennies every year, no more heels even after he fixes the neuroma. But once he fixes me foot, I am back to barefoot until I cannot bear being bare. I hate being confined. Hmmm... there is a metaphor in there somewhere.

I, Anonymous, am a devout 'contrarian' since my conversion to Hokas. They look sort of like smallish moon shoes. But, here's the thing - the heel drop is still more akin to "minimalist" shoes than "regular" shoes so, I guess that puts 'em in both camps, maybe? And - just about any special shoe is overkill for me since I mainly just WALK.

I have to wear sorta dressy shoes for my work from time to time, but I never, EVER will wear those high spikers that just BEG you to fall. (...Even if the woman of my dreams walked up and said she would spend forever devoted to making me happy if I just slipped a pair on for a little while - that's how much I wouldn't wear them!)

I am a "sensible shoes" gal - but I also DO like having something that doesn't look like orthopedic footwear even if it is. Already closer to 60 than 50, I don't need any extra help looking less "hip" than I already am. (Although I AM thinking about getting more "arty" eyewear to solidy this image I and only I have of myself... it may backfire if I go too far!)

Munchberry - that Pemco insurance company ad about wearing socks and sandals out here is soooooo spot on, isn't it? I play it everytime I get ready to travel somewhere else to remind myself to maybe take shoes (and other clothes) that lean in a more fashionable direction. But - when here - I loves me my comfort in shoes, dress and just about every thing else! :)Crabby - your idea about pretending is a great one! I think they call that visualization and it DOES have results!

Too funny! And see earlier reply to Munchberry about PNR aesthetics; I envy you guys. Plus arty eyewear sounds like an excellent idea that i should investigate myself; from what I've seen us 50-something gals can rock that look if we can ever pass up the $5 bargain readers at Costco.

So you Hoka fans have me very intrigued. I am praying that someday a PR email arrives with a review request so that I can experience the magic (Hokas Pokus?) and tell all 3 blog readers all about it!

I grew up doing a lot of martial arts, so a transition to minimalist shoes was pretty easy for me. I bought a pair of VFFs for a Tough Mudder race because I didn't want to jump in the water and then run with squishy shoes after. I like them, they're pretty comfy. I've worn them at the gym a few times, but now that I work out at home, I just work out barefoot. The running technique is a bit different from regular shoes but I don't really do enough running to have a solid opinion I don't think.

I've been wearing Vibram Five Fingers for at least a couple of years +. The Born to Run book was my inspiration to try them and I am a convert! I only wear them when I run on dirt/ grass trails. I have learned the hard way that hard surfaces = blisters and pain. When I first started I gradually let my feet and calves adjust, it is a huge transition, but I LOVE them. I wear 3-4 inch heals for work and spend my off hours barefoot or inVFF. Given I live in the north I have to wear traditional running shoes in the winter but I just let my feet and calves adjust to the new footwear each season. Granted, when I go into the grocery store after a run with my VFF I get lots of odd looks and comments but I really do love them!

You know my take on this - I am the opposite of minimalist with my Hoka OneOne shoes & honestly, so many stories on their site about how they help people with all kinds of feet & ankle probs.... AND they saved my exercise life so.. :)

I really want to try the VFF's, but the idea of something between my toes is icky (and I even wore the rainbow socks when they were the in thing). Now, I can't even stand to wear flip flops, but that could be because they are ugly. Oh and I wouldn't be wearing them for running, no, just sitting around the house in the winter when my feet are cold, hard to justify that kind of money when slippers are so cheap.

I wouldn't mind vibrams for wearing around, as I like to be barefoot or wear sandals and they're a bit more practical (andI could wear them in the lab!) but for exercise I couldn't do it. I pronate badly and without good shoes my knees scream at me. I'll stick to my comfy gelsole Asics. Even going from them to regular old dress shoes makes my feet wistful. I can't imagine running barefoot. Ow.

Heel strike is such a weird idea to me. When I was first reading about running in the 70s (not doing any, not planning to, just reading) I kept coming across that phrase and seeing all the shoes with built up heels, and wondering how people could run and have their heels hit the ground first. I know when I ran as a child I landed on the balls of my feet. (And it hurt my ankles even then.) As a non-runner, I can't do it in imagination, either.

Interesting that you naturally have the cave-man gait many of us are trying to cultivate!

And given all the damage running can do over time, I'd say if you find cardio you love that doesn't require it, no need to worry about it. It's us running-addicts who aren't built for it but keep doing it anyway who have the problem.

After developing bunions as a consequence of wearing those "fashionable" 3 inch heels day in and day out, I had no choice but to find comfortable shoes that wouldn't exacerbate my foot problems.

So, the search was on, and a pair of Vibrams found their way into my clutches. Unfortunately, even they were uncomfortable for me. My husband has a pair that he finds extremely comfortable, though. Doing more research I came across a company called LEM (they were called Stem footwear, and then Lemmings, but have since changed their name). I liked the look of them for casual wear. Wasn't particularly fond of the idea of walking around town with monkey-looking VFFs on my feet. So about a year ago I picked up a pair of LEMS and haven't looked back. They're sooo comfortable that I don't wear anything else. The only drawback is that the company is pretty new and they only have one style (a few different colors, though), but next year they're coming out with more styles. I'm really looking forward to having something else comfortable to wear that's a bit less tennis shoey.

Anyways, I'm fairly active and wear the LEMS for pretty much everything - hiking in the mountains, walking, jogging, elliptical workouts, strength workouts, and just hanging out shopping. After a year they're still holding up well, and my feet are actually happy. I did go through a conditioning period after transitioning from the heavily padded New Balance shoes I wore for years. I basically eased into the minimalist movement with short walks, adding more time with each one. At first, I could really feel the difference in my calves and had a little soreness, but now I can wear them all the time with no problems.

When I'm not working out (or at work/in public) I am ALWAYS barefoot. I hate socks and I hate shoes. I'm fascinated by minimalist shoes, but admit I'm totally freaked out by them. I have one horrible foot (bone spur, arthritic, etc etc) and am afraid it would just be too much for me. I'll have to try your "shortcuts" though.

Oh bummer about the bad foot! But that's cool that you're a natural barefoot person--I always feel a bit 'naked' without them. Such a tenderfoot! I admire you unshod folks, seems a healthier way to hang out somehow.

Alright. I've got to weigh in on this one. While I haven't actually *run* in about 2 years (BOOHOO), the sports therapist I'm seeing for my hip put me in some Altra shoes. They are awesomely invisible. As in, I can be in them all day and not even realize I have shoes on. I love them. They come with insoles to move up to the next strengthening phase ...or whatever. I don't even know. I'm so clueless about (seriously) everything fitness related these days. So I can't actually say I've ever RUN in them. But coming from an injured runner? THEY'RE THE BOMB. None of me hurts after I take them off. (no numb toes, no soreness anywhere, no weird joint pain,...plus they have more support than other shoes AND I don't feel like an idiot wearing the five finger thingys. no offense, five finger wearers.)

that's all. here's the link. So they can trace it back here and send you a pair for free to try! :)http://www.altrazerodrop.com

sorry I don't comment more...I'm totally out of the loop right now. :(

These shoes do indeed look very promising, and yeah, let's hope the altrazerodrop people somehow find their way back here and want an eager blogger product review. Thanks SO much for the recommendation!